Please help us continue to provide you with free, quality journalism by turning off your ad blocker on our site.

Thank you for signing in.

If this is your first time registering, please check your inbox for more information about the benefits of your Forbes account and what you can do next!

I agree to receive occasional updates and announcements about Forbes products and services. You may opt out at any time.

I'd like to receive the Forbes Daily Dozen newsletter to get the top 12 headlines every morning.

Forbes takes privacy seriously and is committed to transparency. We will never share your email address with third parties without your permission. By signing in, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Statement.

WWE stars are trying to leave NXT, and Stephanie McMahon is trying to prevent a mass exodus.

Credit: WWE.com

WWE undoubtedly has to start worrying about All Elite Wrestling, and now, so does NXT.

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer (h/t TPWW.net), a number of NXT stars are looking to find a way out of WWE's developmental system and into AEW:

Several members of the WWE and NXT roster have 'inquired' about coming to AEW, according to Dave Meltzer.

On a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer said, 'There’s way more that you are not aware of. I would go so far as to say that there are very few people and you can count them on one to two hands, that have not at least inquired regarding what’s outside, including names that would shock you.'

There are several reasons why, but one of the main reasons in many cases is AEW’s lighter road schedule, the Observer says. AEW won’t be doing house shows and will only have two hours of TV per week, with a pretty loaded roster.

In response to those superstars wanting to leave and even "counting down the days until they an get out of their WWE contracts," Stephanie McMahon recently held an interesting meeting with NXT talents, according to the Observer (h/t Wrestling Inc):

Stephanie reportedly pushed how great everything is with the company, and how talents get to be their own brands in the company. Stephanie also pushed social media in a big way. Her presentation included a big screen that showed how Forbes recently listed WWE and WrestleMania as one of the top 10 most powerful brands on social media, among other points.

It was also noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE is trying to convince talents that their careers are over if they leave. Talents have believed this in previous years, but most aren't buying it these days and a lot of wrestlers who leave are happy that they made the decision."

In NXT, the feeling is that it’s going to be a lot harder to be a star in WWE because it’s going to take so long to get to the main roster, and even then, even if they’re stars in NXT, the track record once guys go to the main roster has been abysmal. The Ricochet situation has been an 'eye opener' for a lot of guys, the Observer says."

Ricochet, one of the most talented in-ring performers in the world, is just the latest example of an NXT standout who has been woefully misused by the creative team after getting the call-up to Raw or SmackDown. Truth be told, that trend has extended back a few years, affecting names like Shinsuke Nakamura and Asuka, who were pushed well for a while and then disappeared, and other stars, including the Viking Warriors, EC3, Bobby Roode, and a slew of former NXT standouts, who were never really given their fair shake on the main roster.

The problem is that WWE has so much talent under contract, more than it knows what to do with, that it's inevitable that a number of talented stars, whether in NXT or on the main roster, will fall by the wayside. In turn, it's inevitable that frustration will continue to mount as more and more names are signed to NXT, which is making it even more difficult for NXT stars to even make it on NXT TV, much less actually find their way to the main roster and be successful there.

Though NXT talents have the benefit of getting their travel expenses paid for, the average NXT star makes just $80,000 per year, and aside from the top acts in NXT like Velveteen Dream, the Undisputed Era, Johnny Gargano and a select few others, many of those stars have had difficulties even getting a consistent spot on TV or making their way onto a TakeOver card. What's more, WWE continues to sign a plethora of talent to its third brand, recently inking deals with a number of top indie names like ACH, DJZ, Shane Strickland and Trevor Lee, who have turned the already overcrowded NXT into a full-blown clown car.

The grass isn't always greener on the other side, but many WWE stars, whether in NXT or on the main roster, are hoping that there is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel. Chris Jericho, whose explosive interview with Ambrose/Moxley really ignited all this chatter about the frustrations within WWE, recently revealed in his own interview with ESPN that stars currently under contract within WWE are breaking down the door trying to get out and are ready to, much like Ambrose did, shoot on WWE when they do:

I have heard from a lot of people who are working there saying, 'I can't wait to do my version in X amount of months.'"

It's no secret that part of the reason why there has been so much dissatisfaction in WWE as of late is the lure of All Elite Wrestling, which can offer talents a friendlier schedule, national television exposure on TNT and more creative freedom. Although AEW's Cody Rhodes has said that AEW would only sign five percent of WWE's talent, the upstart promotion has used and will continue to utilize some talent with WWE ties, including Rhodes himself, Jericho, Moxley, PAC and Shawn Spears, a.k.a. Tye Dillinger.

If and when a quality NXT talent makes his way out of WWE's third brand, rest assured that AEW could very well be waiting in the wings to scoop up that talent and utilize him or her in a way that WWE never did.

Blake Oestriecher is an elementary school teacher by day and a sports writer by night. He’s a contributor to@ForbesSports, where he primarily covers WWE. You can follow him on Twitter@BOestriecher.

I'm a contributor for the SportsMoney team at Forbes, where I'll examine the interesting effect that sports have on business...and vice versa. I graduated from Louisiana

…

I'm a contributor for the SportsMoney team at Forbes, where I'll examine the interesting effect that sports have on business...and vice versa. I graduated from Louisiana State University in 2010 with a degree in journalism and a minor in English, and during my time in Baton Rouge, I worked for Tiger Weekly, a newspaper focusing on LSU athletics. Upon graduation, I spent more than three years as a columnist for a well-known national sports Web site. Name a sport, and I've probably written about it at some point in my life. My goal at Forbes is to analyze the shrinking space between sports and business, and of course, to stir up the discussion. After all, what fun would sports be if no one ever talked about them?